Richie Havens, right, performs at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on Friday, August 14, 2009, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Concert.

Written by

John W. Barry

Folksinger Richie Havens, who famously opened the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Aug. 1969, has died.

Havens performed often in the Hudson Valley throughout the years, at the Towne Crier Cafe in Pawling, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and Clearwater Festival. His daughter, Rachel Marco-Havens, lives in the Town of Woodstock.

A statement from his family, released through his publicist, reads: ...